


A Cat Named Midnight

by asproutling



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Relationship, Sheith Month 2018, cat familiar, idk - Freeform, light fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 23:57:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15497715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asproutling/pseuds/asproutling
Summary: AU in which Keith finds a stray (mostly black, obviously) kitten on one of his hover bike outings and brings it to Shiro.





	A Cat Named Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> For Shieth Month 2018, Day 30, Prompt: FELINE. Enjoy, perhaps??

I messed up, I messed up, _I messed up_! Like a mantra that had taken hold of his entire being, Keith's mind supplied those three words over, and over, and over again, with no end of the particular loop in sight. He decked that kid in the face without hesitation- what was his name? It didn't matter: he messed up. He messed up big time. What hope did Keith have of making it in the garrison if he couldn't even keep the slightest turbulence of his emotions under wraps? Shiro was putting his neck on the line for him, worked all aspects of his magic to get him into the program and-  
  
"Damn it!"

Before he knew it Keith was flying out of the compound on his father's hoverbike at record speed; Shiro might be disappointed later but, at the moment, Keith couldn't find it in himself to care--he had to get away.

He strayed from his (and Shiro's) usual biking path, fully intending to just get lost for a few hours--Iverson would probably like that, Keith thought absently. He didn't know the path, sure, but he could just follow his own trail back if need be, so he wasn't too worried.

An hour later of curving and swerving, ducking and diving with the wind in his hair and the desert sand steadily caking itself onto his so-called "sand proof goggles," Keith began to let the suffocating thoughts of the day drift from his head. This is exactly what he needed at the moment. Nobody telling him what to do. No one to piss him off to such great lengths. Just him, the setting sun-

And that giant-ass boulder sticking out of the ground that seemed to come out of nowhere--how did he miss it? These damn goggles!-

Keith grunted and instinctively steered hard to port, the hover bike's backside grazing the boulder's hard surface--that was gonna leave a mark--letting up on the gas some to gain control of the bike again, but it was too late, he'd already begun to spin out. Keith tightened his grip on the handlebars, but again it was of little use. He braced himself for impact as the dizzying sensation started to take hold.

Keith was launched a dozen or so feet from his bike; he collided with the hot desert sand, hard, and had the wind knocked out of him instantaneously. His head didn't fare too well, either, slamming straight into the ground with a good amount of power. The force had slid him a few more feet before he finally came to a stop, leaving him doubled-over, winded, clutching his gut in pain. Keith gave himself a few moments to just breathe, recuperate- _Patience yields focus_.

Finally getting a steady in-and-out of oxygen, Keith pushed himself off the ground, still holding his side; his eyes were closed and his head was screaming. A soft breeze had him almost lose his balance. He opened his eyes to check his surroundings: his bike was still hovering and idling, which meant no engine damage, which was good; the sun had set a bit more than he had liked, which was bad; and he had absolutely no idea where he was, which was worse.

He cursed under his breath. If he didn't get back to the garrison soon he'd lose his trail to the darkness, and maybe to the desert wind that would begin to sweep away his only way home. Keith began shuffling his way to the bike--his right leg was a little sore, but not sprained or broken, so he would manage. He threw his right leg over the bike first, hands firmly grasping the handlebars, settling himself when he heard-

"Mrow..."

Was that a... a cat? No, it couldn't be, his head was still shaken up from the accident-

"M-mrow..." Another sad-sounding call.

There it was again. "Okay, definitely not a side effect of a potential concussion," the boy mumbled to himself.

Keith lept off of his bike, careful not to put too much weight on his right leg, and began his search. He heard the mewl come from somewhere behind the bike, maybe a little to the left? But that was where the boulder was. Curious, he strolled over to investigate.

The rock had a tiny opening near its bottom, just enough room for a small, feline-shaped figure to hole up in. Keith knew this was the place. He leaned down, slow and steady as to not frighten the poor thing, and peaked inside.

At first glance all Keith saw was pitch black darkness--the hole must be a bit bigger than he originally thought--so he looked around, made sure no one was watching, and let forth Those Noises You Make With Your Mouth When Searching For A Cat. "Psst, psst, psssssst." Keith paused, eyebrows arching and eyes scanning the darkened area, about to leave when suddenly two bright yellow eyes began staring straight into his. They seemed to be illuminated, somehow--no, _that_ must've been the potential concussion coming into play.

"Hey, little one," Keith began, voice too soft for his own ears, trying to coax the cat out from its hiding spot. "What're you doing out here all by yourself? Where's your mom?" Yellow eyes blinked slowly at him once, twice, firing up his gut somehow, then came closer, and closer, until a tiny black head emerged.

"Mrow?" It sounded like a question to Keith, as much as a kitten's meow could, so he stuck a hand out, letting the feline get used to his scent. After a few hesitant sniffs the kitten walked out, completely exposing itself to Keith and the world. It had a mostly black body, with white fur surrounding its mouth and jaw. Its legs and tail were white, too, with black paws and a black tip, respectively. There was a white patch of fur located on the tips of its shoulder blades--almost resembling wings.

Keith had never seen a creature quite like it, especially all the way out here in the middle of nowhere. "Is it okay if I pick you up?" he asked. He stretched his hands further out, slowly, giving the kitten time to react if it so wanted, before coming into contact with its body. It showed no signs of fear, nor hesitation, so Keith gently picked it up and bundled it into his arms. Of course, first thing's first, he outstretched his arms in front of his body and-

"Ah. Who's a good little girl?" he cooed. The kitten tilted her head just slightly, analyzing Keith's features, unaffected. He bundled her back in his arms. "Good girl. You wanna come home with me?"

"Mrow."

"Alright, I'll take that as a yes. What's your name?" Keith asked, not expecting an answer but voiced it more so to get the kitten used to his presence. He pondered for a bit. "Hm... Midnight. Does Midnight sound good to you?" Another head tilt. The case was closed.

He returned to his bike, Midnight in tow, settling himself in once again.

Wait.

"What the hell am I thinking?!" he shouted at himself. "The garrison would never allow this. I can't just... pick up some stray desert cat and shove her under my bunk and expect everything to work out!" Logic got in the way, but- "I can't just leave her here, either." He looked down at the form in his lap--she was just skin and bones, she wouldn't make it much longer out here on her own.

 _Shiro_. Shiro would know what to do.

Keith gently stuffed Midnight into his jacket, making sure she was plenty secure. He thumbed the dirt off his goggles, placed them back on his head, revved the engine a few times, and was off.

 

* * *

 

Shiro let out an audible sigh. His room was quiet--was more so nowadays than ever before--and the words on the pages in front of him were not sticking in the least. He closed the controls manual, shut his eyes, sighed once more and slumped down his bed in a way that required the least amount of energy possible. He just didn't have it in him.

The Kerberos mission was two and a half months away--he needed to focus. His breakup with Adam was still a rather fresh wound, and Shiro was still reeling from it. Shiro sat up, threw his legs over the bed, reached underneath, palm searching for that little black-

His lips twisted into two tight, thin lines as he grabbed the box and brought it to his lap. He thumbed over it for what felt like the thousandth time that week, feeling the loss and sadness that came with the fuzzy texture he was caressing. He placed his thumb on the front of the box, applied the pressure so it began to open and-

 _BANG, BANG_. Shiro jolted out of his trance, closed then slid the box beneath his bed once more, and got up to answer the door. _It's after hours, who could it possibly be? Iverson?_ Was he really getting replaced for the mission after all?

Shiro shoved one eye in front of the peephole, squinting to make out the form outside his door. Confusion settled over his features, not expecting to see the person he saw, but not exactly surprised either way.

"Keith, what are you-"

"Shiro, open up, it's-"

Shiro silenced himself. Whatever Keith was offering he'd take it--he desperately needed the distraction. "It's important, Shiro," Keith whispered out hoarsely, trying to drown the apparent excitement in his voice, bouncing from foot to foot.

"Alright." Shiro unlocked the door and pulled it open to find a dust-covered, bruised Keith limping his way inside, his jacket clutched tightly to his chest, bundled around... some sort of object. Shiro was on high alert, now. His hands found Keith's shoulders instinctively. "Jesus, Keith, what happened? Are you okay?"

"Look, don't get mad-" the boy started. Shiro ha-rumphed. "But after that fight I got into with that kid earlier today I went for a bike ride-"

"Keith!"

"There was a little accident but I'm fine, I swear." Shiro looked him over. Other than that limp from before and a bruise or two marking his face (from the fight earlier?) it looked like Keith was telling the truth. Still, Shiro was going to be adamant about taking Keith to the infirmary first thing in the morning.

Keith continued, "That's not why I'm here. Here-" He handed the bundle over to Shiro and-

Did it just _meow_?

Shiro shoved the bundle back at Keith, violently shaking his head. "Oh, no, no. Nope. Not happening. Nuh uh."

"Shiro!"

"Keith, you know this is against regulations. You could get kicked out for this! I don't want-"

"Shiro, please!" Keith begged, voice breaking--Shiro's heart nearly stopped. "Just... just take a look at her." Keith brought the bundle back in front of Shiro's person, waiting for Shiro to take it himself. He sighed, took the bundle and began unwrapping Keith's dust-covered jacket from the creature. Shiro gasped. She was so skinny, but she was beautiful, and she looked straight up into his eyes--he felt a familiar fire, there, somehow. He subconsciously began to pet the top of her head, play with her ears, rub the fur at her chin.

He was in love.

"See what I mean?" Keith asked, Shiro jolting from yet another trance. He raised his eyes to Keith's. "I couldn't just leave her."

Shiro shook his head, a fond smile finding its way on his face. "You named her already, didn't you?"

Keith smiled back, eyes full of relief and determination. "Midnight."

Shiro nodded. "Midnight. I like that." He resumed the petting of Midnight's chin, which she exceptionally loved. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

Keith beamed.

 

* * *

 

 The object fell to Earth _fast_ , bathed in red and white light, finally hitting the ground with an almost seismic tremor. Keith gasped, gave Midnight a quick petting, and was off. He set up the explosives he had... _borrowed_ from the garrison, set them off, ran inside and fought off the few men surrounding the table. Without hesitation he bolted toward the table, eyes falling on the man strapped to the table-

"Shiro?"

 

* * *

 

 Shiro was more even breathtaking than he remembered. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back."

"So, what happened out there? Where were you?" Keith asked.

"I wish I could tell you. My head's still pretty scrambled." Shiro's eyes seemed to be looking far off into the distance, somewhere. "I was on an alien ship, but somehow I escaped. It's all a blur. How did you know to come save me when I crashed?"

Keith's heart was beating really fast, suddenly. He really didn't know how. Instead, he said, "You should come see this." The two men walked from outside the shack toward the front door, Keith pushed the door open when-

"Midnight! Is that really you?" With a loud meow, Midnight jumped straight into Shiro's arms, purring loudly and rubbing her scent all over him. He rubbed her chin some, and she loved it, just like how Keith knew Shiro he remembered. Shiro turned to Keith. "You kept her all this time?"

A sad smile. "Of course I did."

A plan had been formed with the rest of the gang, and even though Shiro didn't know who these people were quite yet (besides the short one--had he seen him before, somewhere?) he felt a burning confidence in his gut. They were ready.

Shiro watched Keith walk over to Midnight, who was eyeing the group with an almost knowing expression. Keith leaned down, scratching her head lightly. "Watch the place for me while I'm gone, alright?" Midnight closed her eyes, with what seemed a smile on her feline face.

 

* * *

 

 The lions were, for lack of a better word, _incredible_. Quasi-sentient flying cat robots. Who knew they'd form the universe's strongest weapon?

Once all the other lions had gathered, it was time to for Shiro to pilot black. Keith was... reluctant to let him do so. Shiro had been through so much, already--couldn't the universe give him a break? He trailed Shiro's footsteps to where the black lion lay in wait. Keith held his breath.

When their eyes caught hold of Black, they both gasped. Black had a  _striking_  resemblance to-

"Midnight?!"

**Author's Note:**

> Ya'll can take the h/c of female Black Lion over my dead body, fools.
> 
> @shiros-sprout on Tumblr


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